New Online Program Supports Visitor Experience Objectives

The NZ Tourism 2025 development team has put an emphasis on improving visitor experiences as a vital step to achieving ambitious revenue growth forecasts for the industry.

In support of this goal, Customer Experience Ltd recently launched a new online platform offering tourism operators the ability to lift customer satisfaction levels in a continuous and sustainable way.

The visitor experience development program, which is free to users, can be accessed at: https://customerexperiences.co.nz/customer-experience-development-program

Managing director Chris Bell says the seven-step downloadable program is unique to the industry and applies to all tourism businesses regardless of size or speciality.

He says the program addresses a historical weakness in front-line customer training as the established way to lift performance delivery and service quality.

“This is now shown to be an outdated strategy, delivering inconsistent performance improvements and falling short of service quality standards today’s customers expect.

“While front-line training remains an integral part of the new program, the difference is that skills development needs to be built around defined visitor experiences and measureable service standards.”

Chris says the tourism development team and NZ Tourism Industry Association agree a whole-of-industry approach is required to significantly improve visitor experiences.

“What is clear is that industry skills must be expanded and include business leaders creating a more employee and visitor-centric culture in their respective businesses.

“Our program specifically addresses this objective and is designed to give operators the knowledge and resources they need to implement change.”

He says tomorrow’s visitors will be looking for fulfilling personal experiences, not merely conventional products and services.

“They are more likely to pay a premium for these experiences, which will add considerable extra value to the industry.

“Any business meeting these criteria will benefit from repeat business through referrals and gain a stronger position in its market niche.”